Fist Mountain
by Phantasm.Angel
Summary: Otto is a Riolu and an outcast in his village. In order to prove himself, he decides to climb Fist Mountain, where it is said that Fighting-type Pokemon reach their full potential. With his best friend Amber, a Torchic, Otto confronts external dangers, his own doubts, and a secret that threatens to destroy everything they know to be true.
1. Chapter 1

Muscle Village was an unremarkable town, with its own unique legends, customs, and quirks that every small village seems to use as a source of pride and joy for their inhabitants. The source of many of these traditions came from the stature that stood in the center of Muscle Village's square, commemorating the founders of the settlement, a Hitmonlee, a Hitmonchan, and a Hitmontop. The three Pokémon were brothers and adventurers who had become local heroes for their defeat of many vicious Pokémon and their habit of defending the weak. They came across the valley where the village would be while on a mission to secure the borders of other small towns in the area.

The source of danger to these other settlements was the huge amount of feral Pokémon who called the valley their home. In order to protect the people of the land from these barbarians, the three Fighting-type Pokémon began to do what they did best. Slowly, but surely, they defeated savage Pokémon after savage Pokémon and pushed them back to the mountain that stood higher than any other on the horizon. But the unity of the three brothers began to fray as the end of their mission neared.

Piston, the Hitmonchan, wanted to set aside the mountain as a place for the barbarians to live, convinced that unnecessary violence would only fuel a century of antagonism. The Hitmonlee, Flex, and the Hitmontop, Hurricane, disagreed and believed that the uncivilized Pokémon could not be changed and would only cease to be a danger when they were no more. As they fell into a bitter argument, their vigilance weakened and the Pokémon they had been pressing back mustered up the forces for one last attack. Taken by surprise, the brothers were hard-pressed, but managed to push back this last desperate gamble.

But it was not a clean victory, Piston fell in battle, and his brothers vowed to put his idea into action. Despite their misgivings, they met with the leader of all of the barbarian tribes, who had put aside their own warring in order to deal with the brothers, and they worked out a deal where the savage Pokémon would stay in the confines of the area immediately surrounding the newly christened Fist Mountain, named in honor of their fallen brother.

The people of the land rejoiced and showered Flex and Hurricane with honors, rewards, and love. But they no longer could find the same joy in adventuring and retired to the valley in order to keep a constant watch on the barbarians they had defeated. When no resurgent army of savage Pokémon erupted from the mountain, the remaining brothers filled their free time by expanding their camp and setting aside areas for the many curious Pokémon that had flocked to them. These settlers would become the first citizens of Muscle Village, born out of the community they established under the watchful eye of Flex and Hurricane.

That was the noble legacy of the first protectors of Muscle Village, as lovingly inscribed on the marble statue. But decades after its erection, the memorial to the three brothers was being used for less noble purposes than studying history, especially by students of the only school in the village. This day, a Riolu was being held against the back of the statue by a Snorunt and a Shieldon while a Machop peppered him with blows. The small blue Pokémon coughed up some blood and went limp against the marble. Satisfied, his tormentors dropped his body and walked off laughing. After he was sure they were gone, Otto weakly stood and began to walk home.

He ignored the murmurs and glares of the townsfolk that always met his appearance with disdain and apprehension. Instead, Otto found one of the fountains that dotted the town and used it to wash the blood off of his fur. After shaking himself dry, the Riolu looked at his reflection in the fountain's pool and grimaced. He had suffered worse beatings, but this time the focus had been on his face and although his fur could hide a lot of the bruises, the swelling had all but blinded his left eye. It would be impossible to avoid the questions and concern of the family he lived with, and the last thing Otto wanted was a big scene. More than anything, he just wanted to get something to eat and get to sleep.

Resigned to his fate, the jackal-like Pokémon resumed his walk home.

The fallout wasn't any worse than he had expected, but it wasn't any better either. After muttering a hello to his friend Amber, a Combusken and a Blaziken pelted him with questions about what had happened to him. He appreciated that Amber's parents cared enough about him to be outraged that someone had beaten the tar out of him, but their solutions never amounted to anything more than trying to get him to admit that it had been the same gang of boys and talking to the parents of the bullies. The end result was usually them seeking him out for a retaliation beating the next day for snitching. After going through the motions, Amber's parents left to try and talk to the families of Otto's more aggressive peers and I was left with his dinner and his best friend.

She was actually the only friend he had, but what I lacked in quantity, she definitely made up for in quality. She didn't ask Otto for every detail about his beating, and she didn't try to reaffirm that things would be better. Instead she focused on solutions, like always. You see, Amber was the smartest Pokémon Otto knew. The Torchic could think circles around anyone else in the village, including their teacher. This level of intellect and the good terms she was on with most of the adults made her far less desirable of a bullying target than Otto. Removed as she was from the danger, Amber still tried to help her friend avoid getting thrashed, especially this time because she knew what her parents' intervention would lead to tomorrow. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know," Otto muttered to his plate, "I've tried every possible route change, I've tried leaving earlier or later than the others, but when they want to find me, I end up found."

"And the teacher is still uncooperative?" Amber asked.

The Riolu shook his bruised head, "She still thinks that kids need to learn how to fend for themselves. That's all anyone thinks about here, themselves." The Chick Pokémon gave him a look, and he relented, "Well, that's not true; I'm just tired of this is all."

The Riolu went back to his food and it was silent for a bit. "I wish you'd let me help you," Amber said quietly.

"No," Otto said firmly, "You and your parents have been so kind by taking me in, and the last way I want to repay that is by getting you hurt."

"You think they don't care about you getting hurt?"

"I didn't say that! It's just, it would be different if you got hurt trying to help me. I would be responsible."

Amber cocked her head to the side and studied her friend, "You would be responsible? Not, you know, those jerks who actually administer the punches?"

The blue-furred Pokémon sighed, "You're right, you're completely right. But that doesn't change how I feel about it." Otto pushed what was left of his meal away and rose from the table, "I'm going to go for a walk."

As he moved to the door, Amber sarcastically called after him, "I'd ask to go with you, but I'd hate for you to be responsible if something happened." Otto responded with a scowl and the Torchic met his look by sticking out her tongue and taunting him. The Riolu closed the door behind him a little louder than he had intended and wandered through the town.

Muscle Village was almost closed up for the night, the only Pokémon not with their families were the last few shopkeepers closing up their stores. Otto avoided them, as he had learned quickly that darkness only amplifies people's innate suspicions and fears. No matter how often he received them, the lone Pokémon wondered if he would ever grow accustomed to the suspicion that followed him wherever he went. He had no idea what he had done to set much of the town against him, and even Amber was at a loss to explain it. Otto had once asked her mother about it, but the Combusken had deftly avoided giving him and answer by giving him the 'when you're older' runaround.

Lost in his thoughts, the Riolu had not paying attention to where his feet were taking him, so he was surprised to find himself back at the statue where he had been tormented behind only a few hours ago. He put one paw up against the metal plate containing the story of Muscle Village's founding and looked up at the worn marble. These were the first protectors of the village, a duty that had been continued for decades to the present day. Looking at the heroic faces of the three brothers, Otto expected to feel some sort of surge of self-confidence or reassurance. He had not been prepared for nothing. The jackal-like Pokémon silently lowered his paw and turned to walk home. This process was interrupted by a strong grip on his shoulder. Spinning around, Otto tightened his fists and growled, ready for a fight.

But instead of an oppressor, he found a Blaziken, Amber's father. "It's late," the Blaze Pokémon said, "Let's go home." Otto lowered his paws and nodded and the pair began to head back to their house as the final lights in Muscle Village disappeared one by one.


	2. Chapter 2

Otto woke up the next day and went through his routine, trying to ignore the fact that he would all but certainly be beaten up again. After breakfast and washing up, the Riolu left the house with Amber, only for the duo to split off as soon as they were out of sight of their home. The Torchic gave him a wordless look of concern and then went off with her friends while Otto continued alone. This part of his day was routine as was the noticeable shift among the Pokémon he walked past, whether it was a glare, the bristling of their fur, or even crossing to the other side of the street. But the Riolu was surprised that he made it to the open courtyard that served as Muscle Village's school without his usual bullies finding him and at least threatening him.

Otto reasoned that they must be saving something special for him and as he took a seat on the grass next to Amber, he caught them glancing at him and talking in hushed tones. Trying to avoid thinking about what was to come, Otto focused on their teacher and their lesson. After learning rudimentary reading, writing, and arithmetic, the teaching took a more practical turn, teaching the children of the village how to harness their natural abilities, usually by pitting student against student in sparring matches. Those were interspersed with history lessons taught by Miss Green, an excitable Breloom who got caught up in her own stories so much that she had been known to continue talking even after her students had all gone home.

Given the beating he was sure to endure later, Otto was grateful that he would only be asked to stay awake while Miss Green rambled instead of sparring with his more vicious peers. Today, she was retelling the story of the brothers who had founded Muscle Village, a tale most Pokémon knew by heart before they even started schooling. Indeed, Otto felt himself drifting off, but fought boredom in order to reach his favorite part, the story of what happened after Flex and Hurricane had made the valley safe from the barbarians.

"After many years of safe-guarding the town they had helped create, Hurricane passed away peacefully in his bed. It was then that Flex made a decision whose repercussions continue to the present day. Knowing that in his old age that he would not be able to defend Muscle Village all by himself, the Hitmonlee announced that he would select a protégé from among the villagers to be trained as the next protector of the village, and after his death his pupil would take on a student of their own to train, and so on and so forth," Miss Green said, enrapturing not just Otto, but the other students who knew what was to follow.

"The villagers did not know how Flex would select the next protector and for many weeks speculated about how his choice would be made. Finally, the last brother announced that there would be a tournament, but before the townspeople could begin their preparations, he said that the winner would not automatically win the title of protector-in-training. Instead, they would first have to climb to the top of Fist Mountain," Miss Green paused her story to gesture at the magnificent peek that stood beyond the village and the students' eyes followed.

She dropped her voice to a stage whisper, as if telling a secret, "They say that any Fighting Pokémon who manages to climb to the top of that mountain has their full potential unlocked. They become faster, stronger, and wiser than any other members of their species."

After clearing her throat, the Breloom continued, "Flex created this final test because the best protector of Muscle Village wouldn't necessarily be the Pokémon who could best fight in a strict, organized setting, because the savages on the mountain wouldn't play fair when they invaded. So the tournament commenced and the winner was a Mienshao named Cameron, the youngest Pokémon to win the chance to go up Fist Mountain since its inception. After some preparation, he went up Fist Mountain and for a week the people of the village waited to hear whether or not he had made it. Then he emerged from the lone path up the peek holding in his hand a perfectly rounded white stone. Cameron said it was a memento of his trip, as these stones were only found at the very top of Fist Mountain. The villagers rejoiced and Flex began training his new apprentice. That was the beginning of a chain that has been unbroken to this day, despite the efforts of some fringe elements of society," Miss Green said as her eyes drifted over Otto.

Some children began to excitedly chatter and the teacher waited patiently for them to settle down. "Now, you might have heard," she said, "that our current protector is very sick and isn't expected to make it to the end of the year. For this reason, the current protector-in-trainer will soon take that title and, as such, someone is expected to take his place. The tournament to decide who the next in line to protect our village becomes is in five days." Miss Green smiled at her students, "While the tournament is open to any Fighting Pokémon who signs up, I'd like to remind you all that while these fights won't be grisly death matches, you would be going up against Pokémon many times your age with far more experience. My advice is to wait until you're older but enjoy watching the matches and supporting your favorite fighter."

"Are you going to enter?" a student called out.

"Me? Oh no, I'm afraid I'd lose rather quickly. There are Pokémon who have been training their whole lives for this chance to become the village's protector."

Other questions sprung up and occupied the class until the sun had reached the apex of its flight and it was time for the children to go home. One by one, they trickled out, although a few stayed to finish their inquiries and others lingered to play with their friends in the open field. In the hustle, Amber approached Otto and said, "Are you sure you don't want me to walk with you?"

The Riolu shook his head, "Go on home, I'll see you there."

"Alright," the Chick Pokémon said, and opened her beak as if to say something more, but decided against it.

Otto then began his less than lonely walk home, trying to stay in sight of a few adults to dissuade his pursuers from jumping him, but after making a wrong turn into an empty alley, the jackal-like Pokémon's heart leapt into his throat and he turned around to find himself face-to-face with his bullies. They were an odd trio lead by Brute, a Machop who did most of the hitting of the group. His assistants were a Snorunt nicknamed Snickers for his habit of laughing at nearly anything, and a silent Shieldon that everyone called Faceman. They would have been a laughable gang if they hadn't been so good at tormenting a chosen victim. Brute cracked his knuckles as his underlings slammed Otto into one of the alley's brick walls. The Riolu struggled and snapped his teeth at them, but it was all for show since Snickers and Faceman had learned their lesson from the first time they accosted Otto. Brute stepped forward and smirked in his victim's face.

"Let me go," Otto growled.

The response was a devastating punch to the gut, causing the Riolu to double up in pain. "Shut up," the Machop said, "I've got something to say." Otto bit down a sarcastic comment and looked up to listen. "You see," Brute continued, "Amber's parents decided to visit mine last night on account of you being a little snitch!" Another punch punctuated the last word. "I was in the hallway listening in while they tried to explain why I should leave you alone to my folks, and you know what I found out?" he asked, picking up Otto's chin so he could look at the pain in his eyes. Then, the Machop sent his fist into the top of the other Pokémon's head, causing him to go nearly limp against Snickers and Faceman's hold, "I found out why everyone in the village doesn't trust you, doesn't want a thing to do with you," he grinned, "why they hate you."

Otto struggled to raise his head, "Why?"

"You aren't one of us, you weren't born here. Your parents were stupid savages and they left you in the woods outside the village because they didn't want you," Brute said with obvious relish. He motioned for his friends to let Otto go and the Riolu dropped to the ground, reeling in pain and revelation. The Machop thought about giving him just one little kick, but saw the pitiful state Otto was in. Instead he turned to the other Pokémon with a wide grin, "Alright, let's go. We did good."

The trio walked out of the alley leaving Otto to take this information in on his own. The beating was tamer than what the usual fare, but the revelation had shaken him so much that he found it hard to stand even after he thought his body could handle it. Everything made sense, yet nothing did. Otto's whole sense of self was shattered and he didn't know what he could believe. Then the idea came to him through the haze of pain and confusion.

Amber would know what to do, he reasoned, and the Riolu began to walk home, repeating the thought as a mantra, trying to ignore the truth of his situation. If he didn't belong in Muscle Village, where was he supposed to go?


End file.
